Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Gambia day 2: The roots of Kunta Kinteh

Has anyone read Alex Haley’s novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family or seen the TV mini-series based on the book?In the seventies, both the book and the TV series were a huge success. Roots sold over one million copies in its first year and won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. The mini-series was watched by 130 million people.In case you wouldn’t know, Roots tells the dramatized story of slavery in The Gambia. It follows author Alex Haley’s family line, starting with his famous ancestor Kunta Kinteh’s enslavement in 1767 to his descendants’ liberation.

Kunta Kinteh Island

Last week, I did an excursion in The Gambia which was entirely dedicated to Kunta Kinteh and his life as it was portrayed in Roots.

In the morning, we took a small cruise ship from Banjul to the North bank of the Gambia River. We first disembarked on Kunta Kinteh Island, formerly known as St. Andrew’s Island (named after a Portuguese sailor who died there of malaria). This used to be the last bit of African soil that many slaves saw before being transported in ships to the Americas.

Before exploring the ruins of this UNESCO World Heritage site, our guide told us about its history, about how the Germans built the fortifications, and how the island becomes smaller due to erosion and might be gone one hundred years from now.

He also told us stories about slavery in connection with Kunta Kinteh Island. We learned that prisoners were given mandatory names and that the slave trackers raped female slaves so that their children could serve them as well. The women then strangled their own babies to protect them from misery. What makes Kunta Kinteh’s story unique is that he fought to preserve his cultural heritage (like refusing to take the English name that the slave drivers gave him).

Kunta Kinteh Island is now uninhabited apart from a large colony of Golden Silk Spiders.

Slavery museum in Albreda

Next, we left by boat to go to Albreda and Juffureh.

As soon as we disembarked in Albreda, we were welcomed by a group of waving children and women who performed little tricks while crushing herbs. Poverty reigns in the village. A steady income is as good as non-existent and the inhabitants largely depend on small donations from passing tourists. Many of the villagers begged for money and were unwilling to take no for an answer. Most of them, however, just sat around talking and putting vegetables from one basket into another, while their dogs and goats slept next to them, numbed by the heat. Life is slow in Albreda.

Our first stop was the Albreda Slavery Museum, which mainly consisted of drawings, pictures, and informational panels. Outside the museum is an exact replica of a slave ship. The museum wasn’t anything special, but I think it’s worth visiting the area as it’s one of the poorest parts of The Gambia and really opens your eyes on poverty and different ways of life.

Juffureh

We then walked to Kunta Kinteh’s home village Juffereh. Once more, we were struck by the poverty of the place. Juffureh may be a historically important community with a famous ancestor, but life is not treating the people well here. The begging, which now involved tugging at our clothes, made us feel uncomfortable.

In Juffureh, we also met one of Kunta Kinteh’s descendants. She offered a certificate for sale as proof of our visit.

Adventure time

After the Roots Experience Tour, we thought the day’s adventure would be over. Actually, it had only just started.

While we were heading back to the south bank our boat’s motor broke down in the middle of the river. We had to be rescued. That meant waiting for a little canoe to row us to the mainland.

Back to where we started, we waited for a bus to pick us up at the entrance of Albreda. It was here that we learned that time in The Gambia had an entirely different meaning. Everything in The Gambia lasts twenty minutes, even if it’s two hours or forty minutes. "That’s how the term GMT was invented," our cruise coordinator joked. "You mean Greenwich Mean Time?" "Here it means Gambia Maybe Time. You can never be sure when someone or something will arrive."

After about an hour, a ramshackle little bus took us for an hour and a half drive to the ferry port. During the trip, one of my fellow travelers wanted to open the window but accidentally took out the glass instead. The air smelled of fresh herbs.

The ferry was a different story. I felt as if we were being transported inside a garbage container. The passengers were mainly locals. Some had their goats on a leash; some carried a coffin. An authentic experience, to say the least.

Back on shore, we immediately went to Poco Loco to enjoy our evening meals. There was singing on stage and the atmosphere was jolly. The crowd consisted mainly of white, older ladies and their young, black lovers. It was yet another part of this country - the part in which fun, comfort, and money took center stage. A small ginger cat found its way inside and perched itself on my lap - one of the many starving inhabitants of The Gambia.Disclaimer: The Roots cruise was sponsored by The Gambia Tourism Board, Bamboo Garden Hotel, and SN Brussels Airlines. The opinions are my own.

I remember watching Roots when it premiered - I was 10 or 11 at the time I think and it made a huge impression on me. How interesting to see all of this now.The poverty is so heartbreaking and it really is impossible to imagine.

It's hard to imagine what it's like to live in such poverty. I enjoyed reading about your trip, and seeing the photos. I really like the one with the woman wearing the shawl. It looks like something you'd see in a National Geographic magazine.

Wow. Can I just say what an amazing journey that must have been! Beautiful photos and my heart just hurts thinking about slavery and the human races' ability to be so cold and cruel. Though I am not naive as to think that the world rains love and sunshine, I am well aware of our capacity to express the very opposite end of that spectrum. Thanks for sharing!

I followed the TV series and I may have read the book, I cannot really remember, too long ago. I love the way you report about your experience. Must have been great, even with the discomforts and the break down. I'd have trouble with the begging, though, especially when they start to pull your clothes.I should see about getting hold of one of your novels. I'm currently reading Wolf Hall, but not progressing very well.

Wow what an amazing and eye opening experience that must have been... I have a hard time walking past people sitting and silently asking for change here - I can only imagine how difficult and heartbreaking it must have been with them pulling at your clothes and knowing how desperate they must be...

Very interesting. As for "Roots," I read the book and saw the mini-series as well in the 70s. What blockbusters both were! I think I read somewhere online that they are remaking the mini-series now. Wonder if that's true.

What a humbling experience--I've traveled outside the United States to poorer countries and I always return grateful of the things that I have and the opportunities that I've been given. I can remember seeing bits and pieces of Roots when I was little, and it mesmerized me. While what happened to the people of Gambia was horrific, I am glad that there are reminders there for all of us so that we can continue to fight against oppression and injustice!

Love the Gambia (sounds like my country Zambia - in name only) always have with its history being at the heart of it, its sad state of affairs that poverty has it at. Thanks for sharing your adventures and sharing your thoughts on Gambia.

Hi Vanessa - you really encountered all of life here ... humans at their most needy, to those who could afford lovers and live relatively luxuriously ... I didn't see Roots when it came out - I didn't much like seeing those sorts of things - since I've lived in Southern Africa and I've now learnt more history, and saw the film '12 years a Slave' - and understand our role in slavery in 17th, 18th, into the 19th century Britain ...

Wonderful photos you took .. and thanks for sharing your experience and tour ... love the idea of Gambia Maybe Time ... I'll remember that - cheers Hilary

I remember watching Roots in high school. I still consider it to be one of the best mini-series of all time. How interesting to visit where Kunta Kinteh grew up. It must have been incredibly sad to be surrounded by so many people who didn't know where there next meal was coming from. You captured some amazing photos, and seemed to make the most out of this difficult journey.

What a great post! I spent a few months in Africa, but never got to Western Africa or The Gambia. I look forward now to reading the Roots and planning a trip to this regions. Beautifully written and lovely photographs! Thank you!

I'm speechless. So many things to comprehend but I'm sure it was an experience you'll never forget. Thank you for sharing with us; I haven't traveled around the world nearly enough and seeing other people's experiences amazes me